It has been over 5 years since Welsh heavy metal band Bullet For My Valentine has graced the stages in the United States. And this year, they came “across the pond” to the U.S. for a run of shows. Supporting them on the tour was Of Mice & Men and Vended. The tour had a stop at the Hard Rock Live Orlando on November 10th and my site was fortunate to get to review the show. When I arrived at the venue the line to get in was massively long. People were coming to the ticket booth still hoping to get tickets. Once everyone was let inside it packed the floor as tight as well as both sides. The balcony was completely sold out. The energy at the venue was intense and the attendees just wanted to rock out. They would get their wish.
Vended was first to the stage that night. The heavy metal band from Des Moines, IA formed in 2018. Music is in their genetics between vocalist Griffin Taylor (son of Corey Taylor of Slipknot) and drummer Simon Crahan (son of Shawn “Clown” Crahan of Slipknot). Add in Connor Grodzicki (rhythm guitar), Cole Espeland (lead guitar), and Jeremiah Pugh (bass) and you have this intense, hard-hitting, aggressive band that will get the fans to move, mosh, and get crazy. The band released an EP in 2021 titled What Is It/Kill It. Since then they’ve been touring as often as they can and releasing new music giving fans a taste of things to come.
What you get from Vended is amazing metal music that is seriously aggressive. From the deep throttling bass to the ripping guitars, their music is heart-pounding and fast. It is geared for moshing and moving. And the Orlando crowd was moving hard from the very start. I love Griffin’s guttural vocals, especially since they’re heavy, fast, and clear. Unlike some other guttural singers, you can clearly understand Griffin’s singing. Cole and Connor rip through the songs like wild men possessed. Simon is an amazing drummer with the quickness and deafening sounds he pours into his playing. Jeremiah is incredible not only with his performance but with how he moves on stage. He’s so animated and moves fast throwing his whole body into his head banging.
The band played a very short set of 5 songs, but they felt like they went on forever. Their setlist included “Ded to Me”, “Am I the Only One”, “The Far Side”, and their well-known “Asylum”. My favorite song that evening by far was “Overall”. The song drove that crowd to get crazy. The mosh pit was going hard, sneakers were flying in the air, and the crowd surfers started coming over the railing fast. The energy through that song was phenomenal. The crowd loved them and my biggest complaint was they didn’t do more songs. If you want to check out Vended, head over to their website at https://www.officialvended.com/.
Next up was Of Mice & Men. The metal band from Costa Mesa, CA formed in 2009 and released their first album, self-titled, in 2010. Since then the band has released 7 studio albums. Their most recent album was Tether released on October 6, 2023. The band consists of Aaron Pauley (vocals, bass), Phil Manansala (lead guitar), Alan Asbhury (rhythm guitar), and Valentino Arteaga (drums).
Of Mice & Men is always a fun band to watch live. Valentino’s drumming is fun to watch. He makes his way through his notes smoothly across the drumheads. And he’s very animated behind the kit, smiling and laughing most times when he plays. He came out to kick off the show with a small drum solo and he had the crowd energized. Alan is very animated moving around constantly as he plays. I love seeing the guitars that move around and are fueled by their music. Phil smiles most of the time as he performs. He likes to bang his head through songs too. One of the coolest things is Phil has such beautiful and colorful guitars. And Aaron is an amazing vocalist. He has such a clear and powerful voice and can hold those notes for such a long time. I like how he interacts with the crowd especially checking on everyone in between songs asking “You good?” while holding up a thumb and getting the whole crowd to give up a thumbs up back.
The band had a 9 song setlist that rocked out the crowd throughout it. The crowd was moving to their songs and singing along as loud as they could. Their setlist included “Warpaint” and “Castaway” from their new album Tether. They closed the set out with old-school “Second and Sebring” from their self-titled album. My favorite during their set was “Into the Sun” also from Tether. It’s a very melodic song with a catchy chorus and you will find yourself singing along. Aaron also gets to show off his vocal chops during the song. Check out the music and merch for the band over at https://www.ofmiceandmenofficial.com/.
And then we got to our headliners Bullet For My Valentine. The band formed in 1998 but it wasn’t until 2005 that they would release their debut album The Poison. They would release 6 more studio albums with their latest being self-titled back in 2021. The band consists of Matt Tuck (vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Paget (lead guitar), Jamie Mathias (bass), and Jason Bowld (drums).
The moment the band stepped out the crowd went insane. You would think the Orlando crowd missed them or something. And with good reason. Bullet For My Valentine has amazing music and fantastic live performers. Jason was up high on the riser whipping away at the drums. He was all smiles as he performed. You could tell he was having a blast up there that evening. Jamie stayed close to the mic for most of the night providing the unclean vocals to their songs. And his vocals are so good. Deep and powerful as he belted into the mic for their songs. His bass playing is just as good. Michael is a stupendous guitarist and he was all over the stage, playing up to the crowd. Michael likes to make faces at the crowd or do fun stuff like putting horns up to his head. Matt is a great guitar player and an amazing vocalist. He always seems to be smiling and his singing is so effortless to hit those big notes.
It was a massive 16-song setlist for the final show of the tour. They took no time in getting the crowd moving and moshing when they performed “Knives”. The crowd went even crazier when they performed “Your Betrayal” from their 2010 album Fever. They also added in “The Last Fight” from the same album. The Orlando crowd was bouncing hard when they performed “Piece of Me” from their 2018 album Gravity. Bullet For My Valentine was there to ensure they were giving the crowd a night to remember.
I’ve had the opportunity to cover a few bands on the last nights of their tours and something special is always bound to happen. Bullet For My Valentine surprised the fans with something truly special that night. When the band was into the first of two encores, Matt introduced Matt Heafy from the Orlando-based heavy metal band Trivium! Matt and Matt led the crowd through “Tears Don’t Fall” from The Poison and it was an awesome performance. Matt Tuck suggested Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium should do a tour the next time they come to the United States. I truly hope they make that happen. Bullet For My Valentine did play a few songs from that first album including “4 Words (To Choke Upon)” and “Suffocating Under The Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)”. It was a memorable and stupendous performance from Bullet For My Valentine that evening. Ensure you check out their music and merch at https://bulletformyvalentine.com/.
The Orlando crowd could not have asked for a better way to cap off the tour between Vended, Of Mice & Men, and Bullet For My Valentine. Everyone walked away with a smile on their face and all three bands seemed absolutely grateful for the crowd coming out that evening. For me, it is certainly a night I will remember.
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